Holder



Feb. 4, 1936.

L. A.Y ANDERSON 2,029,977

HOLDER Filed Dec. 26, 1934 Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES `PATEN' OFFICE This invention relates to holders, and more particularly to holders of the type designed to impo-sitively retain a door, a shutter or other hinged closure, in open position.

An important object of my invention is to provide a holder comprising a resilient gripper capable of attachment as desired to either the floor or the wall of a room, and a companion latch pin adapted to be fixed to a door, the arrangement being such that when the door is opened sufciently wide the latch pin engages the gripper and is yieldably held thereby.

In the preferred form of my invention, the gripper comprises a pair of cooperating plungers urged together by spring pressure but adapted to be spread apart by the latch pin when the door is moved back against the wall to cause the latch pin to pass behind the plungers and be held against reverse movement.

Another object of my invention is to provide a holder which may be quickly and easily installed Without requiring any special carpentry skill and which does not necessitate the defacement of the Woodwork in its attachment. An especially advantageous feature of my invention resides in the provision of means for permitting the lengthening and shortening of the gripper to render it suitable for attachment to either the wall or the floor and to allow the correction of any resulting -30 misalignment of the plungers with respect to the latch pin. In the preferred form of the invention, this object is accomplished b-y constructing the gripper for slidable adjustment to accurately vary the elevation of the plungers.

A further purpose of my invention is to provide a holder in which both of the spring-pressed plungers are mounted in xed cooperative relationship upon a standard which is adjustable toward and from its base without disturbing the re- 40 lationship of the plungers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be app-arent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference being had to the annexed sheet of drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the gripper;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the gripper on the line 2 2 of 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the latch pin 50 designed to cooperate with the gripper;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the springpressed plungers taken on the line 4-4 of the gripper of Fig. 1;

Figure 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional View 55 through a wall and door of a room, illustrating how the gripper may be attached to the baseboard of the wall; and

Figure 6 illustrates the gripper attached to the floor and indicates in broken lines the way in which the latch pin is engaged by the plungers 5 to hold the door open.

Figure 1 shows a gripper I of a door holder embodying my invention having a base 2 adapted to be screwed to a xed support. The base is formed with an upstanding tube 3 adapted to 10 slidably receive a standard l. Fastened upon the upper end of the standard by means of a taper pin 5 is a head 6 having two curved, upwardlyextending'arms 'l which support in a plane parallel to the base 2 a pair of spaced cylinders 8 dis- 15 posed in axial alignment.

Slidable within the cylinders are plungers 9, as shown in Fig. 4, formed with semi-spherical shaped knobs I@ extending through and projecting substantially beyond the opposed ends of the cylinders 8. The ends of the cylinders through which the knobs It protrude are provided with inwardly directed ilanges 8a cooperating with shoulders Qa upon the plungers to limit their outward movement. The portions of the plungers 9 enclosed by the cylinders are axially recessed to provide sea-ts for one end of the spiral springs II which serve to bias the plungers outwardly with the knobs Ill in engagement with each other.

The opposite ends of the cylinders 8 are closed 30 by inthrust screws I3 threaded within the cylinders, these screws likewise being recessed to-accommodate the other end of the springs I I. The inthrust screws are provided with kerfs I4 to receive a screw-driver for turning the screws inwardly or outwardly to vary the compression of the springs II.

The tube 3 is provided with a pair of diametrically spaced, longitudinally extending slots I5 adapted to pass a pin IB, as shown in Fig. 2,

which pin is drive-tted within an opening extending transversely through the standard 4. The length of this pin is such that its ends project an appreciable distance beyond the circumference of the tube 3. A clamping lug I'I is 45 threadedly xed upon one end of the pin and a companion clamping lug I8 is loosely associated with the other end of the pin. These clamping lugs are provided with inner curved faces conforming to the curvature of the tube 3, and the 60 outer face of the clamping lug I8 is made at so as to provide a bearing surface for a Wing nut I9 threadedly mounted upon the projecting end of pin I6. By this construction it will be apparent that upon loosening the Wing nut, the standard 4 may be shifted any desired extent within the limits of the slots l5 and that upon tightening the wing nut the clamping lugs will bind against the tube to frictionally hold the standard in place.

In Fig. 3 is shown a latch pin 2B which assumes the general form of a hook, this latch pin being threadedly axed to a base plate 2| adapted to be fastened by screws to a door or other closure. The upright terminal portion 20a of the latch pin is of reduced circular cross-section intermediate its ends, this portion of the pin being designed in the operation of the holder to wedge between and force apart the plungers 9 of gripper l against the action of the springs Il. As soon as the latch pin has passed beyond the plungers, the latter snap together barring the latch pin against return movement. Because the springs Il are maintained under minimum compression except during the intervals of the passage of the latch pin between the plungers, they retain their resiliency indefinitely. To release the door from the holder, it is only necessary to pull the door away from the wall, thus spreading the plungers apart to disengage the latch pin.

The holder just described is so constructed to admit of its use upon either the wall or the floor of a room as convenience or circumstances may dictate. The latch pin 2Q is first screwed to the door and the gripper l then fastened to the wall-or preferably the baseboard thereof-or to the floor in such position that when the door is drawn back against the wall the latch pin engages and is yieldably held by the plungers 9. When the gripper is attached to the wall W, as shown in Fig. 5, it may be necessary to limit the approach of the door to the wall to prevent injury to any fixtures that may be supported upon the door or upon the wall behind the door. This is accomplished by lengthening the gripper l by releasing the wing nut I9, shifting the standard 4 outwardly to the proper extent and then retightening the wing nut.

When the holder is attached to the oor, as illustrated in Fig. 6, it may be found that the latch pin 2B is located either too low or too high toexactly engage the plungers 9. Such a condition can be remedied by simply adjusting the standard 4 up or down in the manner just described until registry of the latch pin with the plungers is attained.

It will be apparent that the positions of the gripper and the latch pin may be reversed, and that the gripper may be attached to the door and the latch pin to the oor or wall. Ob- Viously, various changes in arrangement and design may be made in the holder described above without departing from the spirit o'f my invention.

I claim:

1. A closure holder comprising a base, a standard mounted upon the base, arms extending from the standard at its upper end, a pair of spaced cylinders supported in axial alignment by the arms clear of and spaced a substantial distance from the upper end of the standard, and springpressed plungers slidable within and projecting beyond the opposed ends of the cylinders, the projecting ends of said plungers being of generally rounded ferm and adapted to cooperate with a latch pin disposed either parallel to or transversely of the standard.

2. A closure holder comprising a base, a standard having a gripper mounted thereon, adapted to retain a latch pin, an upright tubular socket member carried by the base for slidably receiving the standard, and means for clamping the standard within the socket member, said means comprising diametrically opposed longitudinal slots in the socket member, projections on the standard extending into said slots, clamping lugs supported by the projections and means for drawing the lugs into engagement with the socket member.

3. A closure holder comprising a base, a standard having a gripper mounted thereon adapted to retain a latch pin, a socket member carried by the base for slidably receiving the standard, and means for clamping the standard within the socket member in selected positions of adjustment, said means comprising a longitudinal slot in said socket member, a projection on the standard extending into the slot, clamping means carried by the projection adapted to be moved into binding engagement with the socket member, and releasable means for urging said clamping means into engagement with the socket member.

LOUIS A. ANDERSON. 

